Primordial l'Cie
by pain17ification
Summary: Desperate to end the war, Kurama tells Naruto of a way to defeat the reborn Madara! With the other Bijuu assisting, Naruto is made into a l'Cie; the first in history! Watch how he takes the future by storm after he completes his Focus of saving his own time from the hands of a madman! Will he and the others succeed...or will they all fail! Eventual Naruto/Jihl and other pairings!
1. Chapter 1: A Legend Born

Hello FanFiction! This is pain17ification with a Naruto/Final Fantasy XIII Xover! Wish me luck!

Disclaimer (aka: pain in the ass): pain17ification doesn't own anything except for the story idea

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_**Techniques**_

_Radio/TV_

_"Headset/Flashback"_

[Scene Shift]

**Chapter 1: A Legend Born**

The land was torn, ripped, and scarred as the war taking place raged on. The sides: the Five Hidden Villages against a reborn legend and his clone army.

Standing tall, and with a look of pure apathetic boredom, was the infamous legend of the Uchiha Clan, one of the first to achieve the Mangekyou Sharingan, and the first to achieve the Eternal Mangekyou; Uchiha Madara. He was a man with long raven hair that had a bang covering his left eye, the famed Sharingan eyes of the Uchiha, and a handsome face. He wore a black shinobi suit underneath crimson armor that was made of multiple plates; his old armor from his past.

Across from him, all breathing heavily from the battle taking place, were the five Kage; the most powerful and influential people of the current age.

From the Land of Lightning, and Kumogakure, was Ē the Yondaime Raikage. He was a very tall and muscular man with slicked back white-blonde hair, a short mustache and goatee, and a passionate temper. All he wore were the bottoms of standard Kumo gear and his Kage cloak while his arms had incredibly large gold bracers and his belt had a golden boar's face engraved on it.

From the Land of Earth, and Iwagakure, was Ōnoki the Sandaime Tsuchikage. He was a rather short and very elderly man with a bald head but gray hair surrounding, a very pronounced nose, and a long moustache and beard. He wore the gear once worn during the Third Ninja War along with a dark green cloak while his usual topknot was down from the stress of the battle.

From the Land of Water, and Kirigakure, was Mei the Godaime Mizukage. She was a tall and slender woman with a well endowed figure and spiky russet red hair that reached her ankles and had a bang completely cover her right eye while the top was styled in a knot. She wore a mesh suit underneath a blue battle dress, gray shin guarding boots, and a white obi around her waist.

From the Land of Wind, and Sunagakure, was Gaara the Godaime Kazekage. He was a young man with red hair, green eyes surrounded by black markings, and had the kanji for "Love" carved on his forehead. He wore a black suit underneath a red coat that was held closed by his war flak jacket while a large gourd filled with sand rested on his back.

Finally, from the Land of Fire, and Konohagakure, was Tsunade the Godaime Hokage. She was a young looking woman for her age with blonde hair styled in two tails, hazel eyes, and a purple diamond mark on her forehead. She wore a gray kimono-like blouse, dark blue kunoichi pants, and a green coat over it all.

Madara couldn't help but sigh in disappointment at what had happened thus far. The five Kage had tried desperately to take him down; as did the other shinobi of the Elemental Nations. They even received help from the reanimated four Hokage of the past, but it wasn't enough for the ancient Uchiha.

It angered him that two of his kin had tried to betray him in the end, only for one to fall at his hand while the other was left incapacitated. Obito, the boy he took in and taught the truth of the world to, had tried to betray him after a certain child got through to him with his conviction and heartfelt words. Sasuke had tried to stand against him as well – with his own Eternal Mangekyou – but it was no match for his own, which he had mastered after years of training.

The man was so close to his goal now. He had taken the chakra of all of the tailed beasts, save the Kyuubi; however that too would be his soon. But, what surprised him was how the blonde child that stood in front of the exhausted Kage was resisting the pull of the Kyuubi from his body, and quite well at that.

He stood at a relatively tall height of 5'10", had spiky hair as bright as the yellow sun, eyes as blue as the oceans, and a face as determined as the Kage of old. His once orange and black shinobi attire was now reduced to only his pants and black sandals while a single black sleeve hung on his left arm, leaving his chest and the seal on his abs bare for the world to see.

He couldn't help but commend the blonde for his admirable willpower. Not even the Jinchuriki of the Hachibi, revered for his total control over his tailed beast, lasted this long against having his Bijuu taken. However, he noticed that the whisker cheeked teen was starting to tire, showing that it wouldn't be long now.

"You've fought very well, boy; you and the others here," commended the Uchiha as the blonde slowly fell to a knee in growing fatigue. "But, it's over now… The Bijuu are mine, and the Juubi will be reformed while I become its Jinchuriki."

The blonde, Uzumaki Naruto, groaned as he tried desperately to hold onto the Kurama the Kyuubi's chakra. His hands were clapped together as sweat poured from nearly every pore on his body while his teeth were grit so hard that the gums threatened to bleed from the force.

_'I-It can't end like this,'_ he thought in growing desperation. _'I can't let him win!'_

**"You're right, brat,"** voiced Kurama as Naruto mentally opened his eyes to the sight of the great fox before him, its paws and claws digging into the ground of the seal while strands of dark chakra tried to pull it out. **"We're running out of options here!"**

"What can I do, fox?! How can I keep him from getting you and recreating the Juubi?!"

**"…You can't,"** grimly answered the vulpine Bijuu.

At those two words, Naruto's eyes widened in horror. "T-Then how can I stop-?"

**"There is only one thing that we can do now; something that old man Rikudo told my brethren and I to never do unless absolutely necessary."**

"And that is?" pressed Naruto as he mentally made **Shadow Clones** to help keep Kurama in the seal.

**"There is a…contract that we Bijuu can make with humans in times of desperation; but we need **_**all**_** of their help to do this. This means that you need to somehow touch that bastard Madara so that I can contact the others. Once I do, we'll make the contract with you and you'll have the strength to stop Madara."**

"Okay, then all I need is to-"

**"Naruto,"** interrupted the fox, surprising Naruto at the use of his name. **"You need to know that once this contract is made and you fulfill your part, you will no longer belong to this time."**

"What do you mean?"

**"What I'm saying is that your body will be frozen in such a way that you will not age and will not be freed until you are needed again. Such is the fate of a l'Cie once they complete their Focus."**

"The fate of a what?"

**"No time to explain! This is all we can do, so get ready!"**

Left with no other option, Naruto nodded and regained focus in the outside world just as Madara finished commending him on his resistance. Gritting his teeth and groaning in effort, he rose back to his two feet and slowly brought his tired arms close together to form a crossing ram seal.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu**!" he cried as dozens of copies were formed around him. With a conjoined battle cry, the innumerable blondes all charged at the Uchiha who regarded them with his usual calm stare.

"So…this is your final gambit," he mused quietly as he let the clones slowly approach. "Very well then… I'll have one last dance before this farce is over."

And so, the Uchiha legend charged the horde of blondes and began his dance of death with them all, weaving between their strikes and dispelling them one by one. Meanwhile, the original Uzumaki had already used the **Transformation** technique to take the form of a random kunai while the clones leapt up and away as one before they all let loose a ninja weapon of some sort, be they kunai or shuriken.

Madara, with the help of his dojutsu, easily batted them all aside with a single kunai of his own before he batted the last one so that it would stab into the earth beneath him. "Is that all?" he asked in disappointment.

"NO!" yelled the clones as one before smoke filed the battle field from the conjoined dispelling of every single one plus the disguised original.

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes by a fraction as his vision was slightly hindered by the smoky haze. They then widened slightly when he felt a hand grab his wrist in a vice grip before his Sharingan eyes met the cerulean orbs of the only blonde Uzumaki in the world.

"Gotcha!" he yelled triumphantly before he added, "Kurama, now!"

**"Right!"** roared the fox from the seal as it sent its chakra to its trapped brethren. No words were shared as they all merged what chakra they could together and sent it into Naruto from the Uchiha's wrist that he was squeezing.

The blonde felt a rush of energy before he opened his eyes to an empty chamber reminiscent of the one he spoke to the Bijuu in before. As one, the nine tailed beasts all declared, **"The contract is made!"**

The Uzumaki felt a beam of light strike over his seal, which faded as soon as the light hit it, before a strange mark appeared; almost like a brand. His head was then filled with images of the ancient Uchiha and himself in a fierce battle while whispers of encouragement were heard.

**"The Focus is given!"** declared the Bijuu, again as one. **"The rest is up to you, l'Cie!"**

As they all faded, Kurama gave him a smirk and nod before it too faded in a flash of light. As soon as they were gone, information on skills and abilities that Naruto had never even heard before flooded his mind, making it threaten to explode from the pressure. As soon as he felt his mind would burst, the information stopped and he awoke back into the real world just in time to be kicked away by Madara.

"Naruto!" cried out Tsunade in worry. She tried to stand, but her injuries forced her back down to her knees. She looked to the battered form of the boy she had grown to see as her own child with growing tears as he forced his body to stand up again.

A groan from Gaara made her turn to him and she heard him say, "His seal has changed…"

Her eyes narrowed in confusion before they went back to where Naruto's seal should've been, only to see the strangest mark she had ever seen. It looked like a warping of many sharp edges taking the shape of a very crude dagger or sword in an upright position (1).

_'What in the name of Kami-sama is that?'_ she asked mentally while the mark on Naruto's chest shined a bright green and, to the amazement of everyone, his wounds faded from view.

"**Cure**," they heard the Uzumaki mutter before he raised his head and met the gaze of Madara. The Uchiha merely raised a brow in amusement at the burning defiance and determination within the cerulean orbs.

"Well, I believe you've gotten your second wind. Shall we finish this then, boy?"

"Gladly," the blonde grit out before his brand glowed blue and he muttered, "Ravager."

The Uchiha let a small grin of growing excitement form on his face. Even with all of the Bijuu taken, it would be some time before they would reform the Juubi within the Gedō Mazō so that he may become the Jinchuriki. However, he couldn't deny that the Uzumaki child had somehow gotten stronger with the removal of his Bijuu and the appearance of that strange brand.

'_Perhaps I may fight a decent opponent after all,'_ he mused before he flew through handseals and unleashed his infamous **Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation** at Naruto.

The ex-Jinchuriki leapt high into the air and swung his hands at the fire in a flurry of movement, all the while calling out, "**Water**!"

The constant blasts of water – which amazed the spectators since it came from seemingly nowhere – brought the flames down to steam and the blonde landed safely before his brand became violet in its glow.

"Synergist; **Haste**!" roared Naruto before he blurred out of sight and reappeared faster than the Uchiha's eye could follow, allowing him to deck the man directly in the face and send him tumbling slightly. Not missing a beat, he used the same technique along with creating five **Shadow Clones** before they all blurred after Madara.

The Uchiha was unable to react quick enough to avoid the strikes, but decades of battle experience sharpened his instincts enough to block a few of them. He then spun in place and released a sharp blast of wind from his lips that sliced through the clones attacking him; the **Wind Style: Razor Gale**.

As soon as he stopped spinning, Naruto was right in front of him with a **Rasengan** in hand while he roared, "**Faith**!" which made the sphere glow a brighter blue in power.

Unfortunately, the Uchiha reacted much faster this time and had a glowing blue ribcage take the hit. It still forced him to slide back a few feet, but he surprised Naruto with the slightly manic grin on his face.

"Yes, this is the fight I've been waiting for! Not even your beloved Kage have made me feel this excited! Why don't we move onto the next dance?!" The ribcage grew into a skeletal upper torso before muscle and tissue formed over it. Over that came armor until finally the four-armed, azure blue terror that was **Susano'o** was fully formed around the Uchiha.

Naruto took an unconscious step back in growing worry as two of the four arms raised their hands high into the air while they each gained an ethereal blade. They suddenly swung down towards Naruto who had his brand shine a bright yellow as he cried out, "Sentinel; **Steelguard**!"

His entire form was lit up in the same yellow glow just as the blades of **Susano'o** struck him, creating a sonic boom that echoed throughout the battlefield while kicking up earth and dust.

"NO!" cried a distraught Tsunade while the other Kage and spectators had their eyes widen in horror. "NARUTO!"

Madara sighed softly at her scream. "A shame… I was honestly starting to believe that he'd push me farther."

He suddenly felt something hit his **Susano'o** followed by a cry of, "**Deprotect**!"

The ethereal warrior lost some of its armor from the blast while a slightly battered Naruto rose up from the pile of dust and rock and wiped his bloody mouth. "I'm not done yet!" he declared as his mark changed to a bright red. "Commando; **Blitz**!"

With a burst of speed, he raced toward the **Susano'o** protected Uchiha while clones continuously came into existence around him, numbering nearly one hundred in total and each with a **Rasengan** in their hands. The Uchiha's grin returned as he lowered the **Susano'o** to just two sword wielding arms as he danced through the clones, slicing them apart and blocking their destructive jutsu.

Meanwhile, a clone that Naruto had kept in existence when he had first made them with his new brand finally dispelled after gathering the necessary nature energy for Naruto to enter his famed Sage Mode. Having two final clones form next to him, the Uzumaki formed another **Rasengan** in his right hand while one of the clones supplied the shape manipulation to form it into his famed **RasenShuriken**. However, instead of having his wind chakra flow through it, he and his clones entered their Ravager Paradigm once more and the other clone had a bright aura flow into the growing destructive jutsu.

When it was finished, the clones dispelled and Naruto raised his hand high into the air with the jutsu – now a pure white sphere surrounded by four blades – picked up the wind and dust with its force. Madara had just taken care of the final clone before his gaze turned to the original. He nearly had to turn off his Sharingan with how bright and how furious the energies raging through the jutsu were.

"**Final Gambit: Holy Shuriken**!" roared Naruto over the howling wind. His eyes lost their yellow coloring from the Sage Mode and became pure pools of white before he reared his arm back in preparation to hurl his self proclaimed final attack.

Madara, now growing worried, had his **Susano'o** return to full form just as the l'Cie threw his attack at him. To everyone else, it was as if the world had been set on mute as the disk of pure white energy flew across the battlefield and headed toward the azure blue ethereal warrior. Closer and closer the final gambit drew before it finally clashed against the **Susano'o** and engulfed the area in a blast of pure light, rendering all sight and sound useless save for Naruto and Madara who now stood face to face in a realm of nothing but white light; much like when Naruto's **Rasengan** clashed with Sasuke's **Chidori** when they were younger and when they fought in the Land of Iron.

The Uchiha had his eyes closed with a small smirk on his face while Naruto had his own eyes closed as if in resignation. "I can't believe you had that much power within you," commented Madara with a slight chuckle. "How did you do it?"

Naruto stayed silent at the question, making the Uchiha finally open his eyes but still keep his smirk.

"How did you manage to gain the strength to take me down?"

Naruto's own eyes opened and blue clashed with onyx for what seemed to be an eternity before the Uchiha chuckled once more. The chuckle grew into a laugh that made the blonde close his eyes with smirk of his own.

"I see… So, that's how… I can't believe that I was bested by the damnable Will of Fire nonsense once again…" He regarded the Uzumaki with his smirk growing ever so slightly before he nodded once in respect. "You truly live up to Hashirama's belief, Uzumaki. I can see him in you, and I can't believe that it feels like you were meant to carry on his legacy. Perhaps that nonsense about the Rikudo Sennin's children being born again through the years actually held some truth after all."

"What happens now?" asked Naruto, finally speaking for the first time.

"Now…I die once again – for good this time – and the world tries to rebuild itself after everything that has happened. As for you, I honestly don't know. You've won, yet at the same time you've lost since I can feel your energy leaving you."

Naruto nodded once and commented, "I'm not going to belong to this time for much longer."

"Is that right?" asked the Uchiha with an amused look. "Well, whatever happens to you, I have no doubt that you'll still carry on Hashirama's ideals. I just wish I could've seen the world through his eyes instead of the hate filled eyes I carried."

"I trust the Bijuu will be released before you die?" asked Naruto, making the Uchiha nod.

"Of course… I see no reason to keep them locked away after you gave me the fight I so desperately sought out."

Naruto nodded once more before they both noticed his brand glow white and start to cover his skin a bright crystal. "It's happening…" he commented absently, brushing his fingers against the crystal.

"So it seems… Perhaps we should return to the outside world then?"

"Right…"

The light died down after that and everyone saw the two standing tall in front of each other before they both fell to a knee and Madara's chakra exploded from the Gedō Mazō, releasing nine different streams of chakra that had the heads of each of the Bijuu leading them.

"It is done," Madara stated tiredly as his form started to rapidly age before their very eyes. "I trust you will continue _his_ legacy wherever you wind up?"

Naruto nodded as his breathing became haggard. "H-Hai… I will… I swear on my nindo and my soul…"

The Uchiha gave a very weak chuckle and whispered, "Good…" before the light left his eyes forever. After a few seconds – possibly even minutes – the forces of the Ninja Alliance roared with cheer as the war was finally over.

Suddenly, Naruto coughed up blood and clutched his chest, silencing everyone while Tsunade had finally regained enough strength to rush over to him followed closely by Gaara. She rested his head in her lap as his breathing grew heavier, and her eyes finally saw the growing crystal coming from his brand. "No…" she whispered as tears fell from her eyes. "Not like this, Naruto…"

"_*cough*_ I-It's alright…baa-chan… I already knew…that this would happen when…I completed my Focus… Like Kurama said; such…is the fate…of a l'Cie…"

"What are you talking about?" asked Gaara. "Is that what your brand means?"

Naruto nodded and swallowed some blood that threatened to come out. "Y-Yea… The Bijuu and I…made a contract… I finish Madara…they get free…and I become frozen…in time…"

"Focus… That's what your end of this 'contract' is called isn't it? And 'l'Cie' is what your brand makes you…"

"Yes…" he murmured as the crystal had now begun to spread to his torso and legs. "Baa-chan…stand me up… I don't want to be frozen…as if I were dead…"

With tears still falling, she nodded and helped him to a standing position. The crystallization kept spreading throughout his body and he gave her as best a grin as could.

"Don't worry… I'll be fine…and plus I'll…wake up someday… I promise….dattebayo…"

She couldn't help but breathe out a chuckle at his famous verbal tick as she kissed his forehead softly. "I love you, Naruto… You were the son I never had…"

He chuckled and nodded. "Yea…and you were…the mother I always wanted…" He then turned to Gaara and added, "Take care of things…brother…"

"I will…brother," promised the redheaded Kazekage.

"Glad to hear it," muttered the blonde Uzumaki before his brand flashed brightly and his form was finally fully crystallized with his body frozen in a stance as if he were staring up to the heavens. The crystallization didn't stop there though and spread for miles, covering the land in its power and changing it to what could only be described as a lake of pure crystal.

"Beautiful," whispered Tsunade while Gaara stepped up beside his now frozen brother.

"It's his final gift to us… This lake of crystal shall serve as a reminder of our differences being set aside for the good of the world. From this day forth, this landscape shall be known as…Lake Bresha."

At that declaration, the various ninja, kunoichi, and samurai that took part in the war cheered loudly, shouting praises for Naruto to the heavens while the other three Kage stepped up next to their fellow leaders and their crystallized hero. Their gazes slowly swept across the crystal land and the cheering soldiers while their hearts and souls prayed for the frozen Uzumaki next to them.

Throughout time, his story would be forever revered by everyone. History would forever know of this man – this hero – as the l'Cie; the Primordial l'Cie.

(End Chapter)

1~ The link for how his l'Cie Brand looks is on my profile page! Be sure to look!

So, what did you guys think of the first chapter? I hope you're interested and eager for more!

Now, I'm sure you guys have plenty of questions or concerns. If you do and would like them answered, please PM them to me and I _promise_ that I will get back to you as soon as possible! Also, be sure to review this story guys! Please and thank you!

In other news: To those of you who have read the conjoined story I have with my friend **Dregus**, Kage no Kisaki, he has asked me to let you all know that he has been having CPU issues and he won't update for a while until it is fixed.

Next Time: A frozen hero is awakened! Stay Tuned!

**pain17ification**


	2. Chapter 2: Past Meets Present

Hello FanFiction! This is pain17ification continuing "Primordial l'Cie"! I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer (aka: pain in the ass): pain17ification doesn't own anything except for the story idea

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

**Techniques**

_Radio/TV_

"_Headset/Flashback"_

[Scene Shift]

**Chapter 2: Past Meets Present**

It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was just supposed to enter the Pure Train and be done with everything. She never in her strangely spaced life imagined for things to go so downhill...and so quickly too!

She had joined a small group of people all dressed in blue and white robes and they were all awaiting what would eventually happen, but then PSICOM attacked out of nowhere and then a small vigilante group decided to take action while pulling many people into their ranks; people who supported their cause.

Beside her at the time was a teen maybe two years younger than her - physically at least - who had stared in horror as his mother fell to her death. She knew that he blamed the tall blonde man in the white coat, but she couldn't bring up the courage to try and convince him otherwise. They had gone after the man when he took one of those hoverbikes to go and save a woman named Serah.

That was a name she knew personally, and it was because of what had happened days ago that she urged the teen with her to follow the man. Of course, they crashed their own bike and had to fight through groups of pantherons in order to find a potential way out.

Much to her relief, and the teenage boy's ire, they had reunited with the blonde man from before and they pressed on until they met a woman dressed for battle with pink hair and a dark skinned man who had an adorable chocobo chick nestled in his afro.

They had arrived in time for Serah, the fiance of the man and younger sister of the pink haired woman, weakly tell them to "Save Cocoon" before she had turned into crystal with a single teardrop made of crystal falling from her. The man - Snow, she believed his name was - took the tear and got into a verbal argument with the woman before it was decided to go to the Fal'Cie of the Hanging Edge. It quickly went south when Snow begged for him to take Serah's place while the woman - Lightning - decided to take matters into her own hands and attack the Fal'Cie. The darker man - Sazh - decided to help, and she heard him murmur a single name that made her nearly break down: Dajh.

From there, the fight escalated until a brilliant flash of light, a sensation of free falling, a vision she was terribly familiar with, and then blackness all happened. When everyone came to, it was discovered to their horror, anger, or grief that they had all become l'Cie; beings branded by Fal'Cie and given a task to complete known as a Focus. They all had the Brand on their bodies.

Hope - the teen she helped before - had it on his left wrist. Sazh had it in the middle of his chest. Snow's was on his left forearm. Lightning had it on her left breast; much to her chagrin. She herself had it on her left upper thigh, hidden by her skirt. Of course, it had only just been "reawakened" in her case.

They quickly agreed to move forward through the crystal landscape of Lake Bresha; a symbolic place that served as a reminder of the "horror" l'Cie brought forth. Legends from her old home told of the place being made when the very first of the l'Cie completed their Focus. She never thought she'd see it in her life.

Her curiosity got the better of her and she took off in a different direction that had many twists, turns, and small descending slopes. It finally reached a circular area that looked to be that of a chamber inside of a cavern. In the very center of that chamber, there was a crystallized shape that looked to be that of a human.

She stepped closer and observed the figure, taking in any details she could see. Just looking at the man - seeing as the crystal had no upper clothing and no female anatomy - reminded her of the legend she was told by her sister in all but blood.

_"Primordial l'Cie?" she asked, her head tilted in confusion._

_"That's right; the original l'Cie that accepted the Brand long ago in a time of great war. Legend says that he had been born into a life of hate and fear, forced to grow up alone and afraid. Throughout the years, he slowly began to see a light in his dark life and took on the role of a soldier of his home. There aren't many stories of his exploits until the war, but many of the Elders believed that he had a gift of changing the hearts of even the darkest souls."_

_"Why's that?"_

_"Because his soul was pure; purer than any they had ever come across and his heart was his biggest asset. He could see the goodness in anyone and he had a knack for bringing it out for them. But, when the war came, he decided to accept his own darkness along with the burden he had been born with. As the war drew closer to its end, his side was on the brink of losing and he desperately sought out a means to keep fighting."_

_"How did he do it?" she asked in excitement, becoming enthralled in the tale._

_"The Legend says that his burden was actually a piece of the very first Fal'Cie; one of nine. The fragment had him connect with the other eight pieces before they all as one gave him the Brand. Since it was the first, and since it was from the entirety of the original Fal'Cie, his Brand was stronger and the power given to him emphasized that as he took down his enemy and completed his Focus of winning the war."_

_She smiled happily at hearing that before she asked, "What happened next?"_

_"He then became a crystal statue, forever frozen in time until he was needed again. His story passed on through the ages but some people gave it a darker image. This is why there are many who see the Brand as a curse instead of a gift. Whatever happens Vanille… If you ever get this Brand, never let your fears or doubts keep you from seeing that you were chosen for a higher cause."_

_She had an awed gaze at the emotion in her sister's voice before she smiled and nodded. "I won't, Fang!"_

Sighing, she escaped from her reverie to stare at the statue. Her eyes looked to his face and saw that his gaze was skyward to the heavens, as if letting the gods of the old world know that he had succeeded. Not thinking of her actions, she stepped forward and hugged the statue with her head resting against his chest.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, her eyes becoming misty. "You were meant to be seen as a hero, as a role model for us to follow… But the world only sees you and all other l'Cie as monsters and cursed people. Even I think we are cursed." Some tears fell as she continued venting, "I've made so many mistakes and I caused two people to become marked by the Brand. Serah… She was supposed to get married and live a peaceful life… And Dajh… He was never meant to be separated from his father…"

She sank to her knees as her sobs shook her body and she clutched the statue like a lifeline. Everything she had been bottling up came rushing forth like a geyser of emotion and she couldn't stop it.

"I don't want them to hate me for what I did, but I can't help but hate myself! It's my fault that they were marked! It's my fault that they lost their chances at life! It's my fault we're here now as l'Cie and not regular people!" She let her tears flow unashamed, for there was no one else who could possibly hope to understand how guilty she felt.

Unknown to her, the Brand on the crystal man's stomach gave off a faint glow.

She didn't know how long she stayed their releasing everything she kept locked away. However, when she finally calmed down enough to wipe her stray tears and speak, she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Standing up, she looked up at his face and hesitantly raised her hand to the markings on his cheeks. The crystal made it very cold to the touch, but she didn't care. She felt safe and forgiven; she felt like she had a protector standing before her.

"I messed up so much," she began before she gave a small smile, eyes brimming with determination. "But, that doesn't mean I don't have a chance to make things right. I'll find a way to save those two from the Brands I'm responsible for, and then I'll do everything I can to pay for what I did." She stepped back and her smile grew as she kept her gaze on the crystal. "That's a promise!"

With that, she left the area and hurried off to find the others. Meanwhile, the faint glow of the Brand on his stomach grew brighter before it bathed the area in a pure white glow.

[Sometime Later]

After catching up with the others and giving them a little lie of saying she "got lost in the scenery", the group of five continued on through the crystallized area. Along the way, they dealt with more Pantherons, some strange frog like creatures with razor sharp claws and teeth, some PSICOM soldiers, and even a couple of Cie'th; l'Cie that did not complete their Focus and changed into abominations.

Vanille felt lighter in her steps after her little detour and it showed as she helped out in the fighting with well timed spells and healing. She was quite adept at the arcane arts that l'Cie were gifted with. Snow was more for the physical boost provided while Hope was in the same boat as her and the other two were pretty well rounded in both physical and arcane.

It came to a point where they had just crossed what appeared to be a stable bridgeway before it sloped down to an open area. Lightning and Snow were tense in preparation while the other three were looking around nervously. Suddenly, a very large machine burst out of the side of the crystallized walls and blocked their path. The lights that made up its ocular sensory system were a furious red, showing a malfunction in its programming; most likely from the fall it took when Lightning and Sazh knocked it off of the Hanging Edge a few hours ago.

The Masavin Warmech started to attack, seeing the five as targets in its "Purge" programming. Lightning and Snow met its charge with her gunblade's sharp edge and his gloved fists. They were the frontline fighters, keeping the fight close and personal with the machine while Sazh provided ranged support with his twin mod pistols. Meanwhile, Hope and Vanille attacked with various elemental spells, healed any damage taken by the machine, and either provided magical enhancements (Hope) or magical setbacks (Vanille).

It soon came to a point where the Warmech opened up its front, revealing a large energy cannon that fired a condensed shot of pure energy at them. Snow took the brunt of it with his **Steelguard**, but it still took a heavy toll on his body, leaving the healers to get to work while Lightning and Sazh took over in holding it off. However, the machine used the lowered numbers to its advantage and made a wide sweep of its arm to knock the two attackers back before it charged another shot on its cannon.

Vanille and Hope froze in fear as the energy grew more and more inside of the Warmech. They weren't finished healing Snow and she didn't want to leave him there so that she could save herself. Hope was simply unable to move due to his fear and the shock of everything that had happened raging in his mind.

The redhead closed her eyes and braced for the attack to hit her and end her life.

Seconds passed by after the sound of energy being fired, but she felt nothing. She briefly considered that she was given mercy by not feeling the agony her own death, but her eyes opened slowly just to be sure. They instantly widened at the sight before her.

Standing tall and wearing only a pair of tattered orange pants, a single black sleeve, and black sandals was a man with spiky golden hair. He stood shorter than Snow, but about the same height as Sazh, and his right forearm was held outward in a defensive manner. Smoke rose from his arm where the blast most definitely struck him, but he didn't make any signs of discomfort or pain.

She saw his head turn back just enough to see his left whiskered cheek and brilliantly blue eye before she heard him speak. "Finish healing him… I'll take it from here."

She could do no more than nod before she quickly resumed healing Snow. Hope was gaping at the sudden arrival while Sazh and Lightning stepped up behind them. The woman, being the more suspicious of the others, decided to identify the new arrival.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

He kept his back to her as he responded, "I don't think we have the time to speak when there is something aiming to destroy you. I will get back to you as soon as I finish, so please wait patiently and," he turned to look at her with one eye, "don't get in the way."

With that, he sprinted towards the Warmech faster than anything they had ever seen before he halted the wide swing of one of its arms...with a single hand. Along with the other, he grabbed the arm and used his right foot to hold it in place as he ripped it off of the main body. The wires and circuitry sparked at the sudden separation as he tossed the "freed" appendage aside and performed a spinning back kick to the Warmech's face.

Striking true, he sent it flying back by the force before he pulled out what looked to be a scroll and unravelled it. From it came a small pouch of some sort before he put the scroll back into his pants pocket. Attaching the pouch to his right leg, he pulled out a single knife with a ringed end and held it expertly, much to Lightning's approval.

"Ravager," he murmured before the knife sparked with electricity. "**Sparkstrike**!" he roared as he did a half spin, kicked off the ground in an incredibly large back flip, and landed on the Warmech's back while plunging the blade into its body. The lightning coursed through the inner circuits as he released his right hand and had it form a furiously glowing and spinning sphere of pure energy in its palm. Plunging it down into the body, the others heard him cry, "**Rasengan**!"

The result was the sphere ripping into the body without any resistance as sparks, wires, oils and coolants, and some smaller parts flew off of the machine before the light from it dulled down and died. The man nodded once and put his knife away before he jumped off of the Warmech and walked over to the others.

"Geez… He just did what we tried to do all by himself," commented Sazh.

Snow nodded and added, "He's strong; no doubt about that.

"But who is he?" asked Lightning with a small scowl while the other two kept quiet.

When the man finally reached them, he looked them all in the eye, unnerving them slightly, before his gaze stopped at Vanille. A faint smile appeared on his face as he nodded to her. "I guess I should be thanking you. If it wasn't for you finding my body, I probably wouldn't have woken up for many more years. Your Brand reached out to mine and allowed me the opportunity to walk the earth again."

The others looked to Vanille who suddenly found the ground _very_ interesting. "Lost in the scenery, eh?" asked Snow with an amused smile before he turned back to his fellow blonde. "Thanks for the help. My name is Snow Villiers."

The man nodded before he turned to the others, starting with the darker male. "Sazh Katzroy, and the little guy's just called chocobo."

The silverette teen was next with a nervous greeting of, "I-I'm Hope Estheim."

"Lightning Farron; ex-Sergeant of the Guardian Corps," stated the pinkette with a professional stare.

The redhead smiled to him and cheerfully greeted, "My name's Vanille!" Her exuberance made him chuckle slightly.

"Nice to meet you all, and to speak to you, Vanille," replied the man. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a l'Cie from a long time ago...the first l'Cie."

The others looked to him in surprise, save for Vanille who simply kept smiling at him. "That can't be possible," Sazh muttered in shock. "You'd need to have been alive centuries ago! Maybe even a couple millennia!"

"Well, I don't know about the difference of time, but I know for a fact that I'm the first. The ones who made me into a l'Cie informed me of what I would become. I accepted it so that I could stop a madman from plunging the world into his crazed view of 'Peace'. In truth, he would have merely had the world under his spell. Where's the peace in that?" The others couldn't help but agree with him. None of them could see peace as "control".

"So, you finished your Focus, turned to crystal, and Vanille woke you up?" asked Lightning, prompting Naruto to nod. "I also assume your Brand is different from ours since you're the original l'Cie?"

"Half right," he replied. "I was marked by a total of nine who used to all act as a single entity; most likely the very first being that created l'Cie."

"You mean that you were marked by nine Fal'Cie?" asked Snow in total shock.

"Back in my time, they were known as Bijuu, but yes. Now, what exactly is your Focus?"

"We're still trying to sort it out amongst ourselves," answered Lightning before she crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. "Are you going to walk around half naked all the time until you find clothes or what?"

He blinked in confusion before he looked down at what used to be his outfit and rubbed his head. "Yikes… Forgot how bad Madara and Obito laid it on me during the war. Give me a second."

Without waiting for a response from any of them, he ducked behind the ripped arm of the Warmech he tossed aside earlier. They heard the sound of his scroll opening up, heard a pop and saw a small plume of smoke, and saw his tattered clothes being tossed away from behind the arm. After a couple of minutes, the whiskered blonde stepped back out in a fresh outfit that suited him very well.

He wore a dark blue body suit that had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and held in place by white bands, black sandals, a white flak vest with many pockets, a knife case strapped to his right leg, and a cloak over it all that was white with blue flames on the hem on the outside while the inside was dark blue with a golden koi fish styled on it. Around his neck was a gold chain with five golden bars hanging from it. (1)

He nodded at his own attire and had a wistful look in his eye. "I was hoping to wear this if I became Hokage...but I guess that's impossible now. No sense in letting it go to waste, right?"

Vanille giggled at that and nodded. "It looks good on you, Naruto."

"Thanks. So, what's the plan? I'm kinda out of my element here since this isn't exactly my time and all…"

Lightning answered as she started walking down where the others were originally heading. "For now, we're focusing on finding a way out of here."

"We already have PSICOM after us, so we need to move," Snow added.

Nodding, Naruto began to follow while walking in step with Vanille in the back of the group. She smiled at him and whispered, "I'm glad you're here to help us, Naruto. I feel safer now."

"Don't mention it," he replied with a returning smile. "Just help me understand what's going on and I'll help you with your...concerns."

She wasn't all that surprised at his response. "You heard me," she stated more than asked.

"Yea, and I'll help you figure things out; I promise."

She nodded gratefully at that before she began to explain the important notes and tidbits of the time he was in. All Naruto knew as she kept talking and explaining was that he was definitely out of his element here. But, that wouldn't stop him from helping the others out however he could.

_'It's said that when Past meets Present, surprising things could happen. I wonder how true that statement is...'_ he mentally mused as he listened to Vanille.

(End Chapter)

1~ Naruto's look has a link on my profile

So, what did you guys think of the second chapter? I hope you're interested and eager for more!

Now, I'm sure you guys have plenty of questions or concerns. If you do and would like them answered, please PM them to me and I _promise_ that I will get back to you as soon as possible! Also, be sure to review this story guys! Please and thank you!

Next Time: Heartbreaking discoveries and the search for a way out! Stay Tuned!

**pain17ification**


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